Position Specification The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art President

© 2015 Korn Ferry. All Rights Reserved.

POSITION SPECIFICATION

Position President

Institution Cooper Union

Location New York, New York

Reporting Cooper Union Board of Trustees Relationship

Website www.cooper.edu

INSTITUTIONAL BACKGROUND The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers a world-class education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as an outstanding faculty of humanities and social sciences.

The History of Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art

The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art continues to be inspired by its founder, Peter Cooper. A brilliant inventor, entrepreneur, industrialist and America’s first great philanthropist, Cooper was a visionary in every sense of the word. Daring repeatedly to commit to technologies and ideas on the horizon, he built the first steam locomotive in the nation, invested in the first transatlantic cable, and developed The Cooper Union’s Foundation Building, then the tallest building in New York – the first with an iron I-beam infrastructure and the first with an elevator shaft, long before the passenger cab was even invented. Cooper made his fortune with a glue factory and an iron foundry; he invented instant gelatin with the help of his wife, Sarah, who added fruit to what the world would later come to know as Jell-O. One of the legendary industrial age capitalists, Cooper was singular in the belief that great wealth compels great responsibility to better the human condition. He was committed throughout his life to raise people from poverty, to reform social structures, and to enrich the human spirit. Cooper, who had himself less than a year of formal schooling, dreamt of giving talented young people the one privilege he lacked: a superb education. As such, he spent his last 30 years creating and nurturing the institution to which he bequeathed the majority of his wealth; he created Cooper Union for the "boys and girls of this city, who had no better opportunity than I."

When Cooper Union opened in 1859, the founders were committed to the future improvement of humankind and to developing a college second to none. The Cooper Union was the first institution of higher education to:

 admit students based on merit alone;  explicitly prohibit discrimination based on race, gender, religion, ethnicity or national origin;  provide a 100% tuition scholarship to every admitted student; and  offer a free reading room, forerunner of the public library, open to all of the people of New York City. Originally intended to be named simply “the Union,” The Cooper Union began with adult

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education in night classes on subjects of applied sciences and architectural drawing, and day classes, intended for women, on photography, telegraphy, typewriting and shorthand in what was called the College’s Female School of Design. Founding board members included Horace Greeley and William Cullen Bryant, and early students included Thomas Edison and William Francis Deegan. The Cooper Union's free classes—a landmark in American history—ultimately evolved into the three distinguished schools that make up The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art today.

To engage the citizens of New York in the critical issues of the day, Peter Cooper also placed in his building a Great Hall, where 3,500 people could stand at once to hear free lectures by speakers who dared to challenge the status quo and whose radical views were reshaping society. It was in the Great Hall that Abraham Lincoln gave his Right Makes Might speech. Since then, the Great Hall has welcomed abolitionist Frederick Douglass, Indian rights advocate Chief Red Cloud, and women's suffrage champions Susan B. Anthony and Victoria Woodhull. The Great Hall was the venue of choice for speeches by Samuel Gompers, Clara Lemlich and the earliest workers’ rights campaigns, the birth of the NAACP and the American Red Cross, and a stage for speeches by numerous presidents and presidential aspirants, including Presidents Grant, Cleveland, Taft, Theodore Roosevelt, Wilson, Carter, Clinton, and Obama.

One hundred fifty-one years later, The Cooper Union, still a privately funded college in Manhattan’s East Village, continues to stand as the modern incarnation of its founder’s vision, upholding Peter Cooper’s fundamental belief that education of the highest quality should be as “free as air and water,” and available to all who qualify, independent of race, religion, gender, or social status.

The Cooper Union student body personifies the spirit of Peter Cooper himself—intelligent, innovative, intense, hardworking, humanistic, driven to create—and selected on the basis of merit alone. Cooper Union remains committed to providing opportunity for generations of young people who, but for the visionary thinking and action of Peter Cooper, might not otherwise have the chance to participate in an intellectual exchange of the highest caliber.

The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art

The Cooper Union maintains an academically rigorous and challenging course of study in its schools of Art, Architecture and Engineering, and its Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. It remains at the forefront of social and political justice and seeks to create active citizens. Each school offers specialized programs and undergraduate degrees. The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture and the Albert Nerken School of Engineering additionally offer post-graduate advanced degrees. Students at all of Cooper Union's schools take courses in the social sciences and humanities, taught by a faculty of distinguished scholars.

With its highly selective student body, The Cooper Union provides an intimate, immersive, collaborative and advanced conservatory-style education. The three specialized and focused schools together spark synergies under the rubric of design, the union of science and art. School spirit is derived from a sense of belonging to a vital intellectual community. New York City is a living laboratory for the study of society and ideas and a magnet for entrepreneurial innovation in technology and design; The Cooper Union is poised to lead in the city’s development, as it has historically. For students and faculty, New York City is their professional home, their studio, their laboratory, and their subject matter.

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Although enrollment is typically less than 1000, Cooper Union alumni have won a disproportionate number of distinguished awards, including a Nobel Prize, ten Rome Prizes, 18 Guggenheim fellowships, three MacArthur fellowships, nine Chrysler Design awards, and three Thomas Jefferson Awards for Public Architecture. The Cooper Union has also produced 25 Fulbright scholars since 2001 and ten National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships since 2004.

Our Mission

Through outstanding academic programs in art, architecture and engineering, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art prepares talented students to make enlightened contributions to society. The institution provides close contact with a distinguished, creative faculty and fosters rigorous, humanistic learning that is enhanced by the process of design and augmented by the urban setting.

The School of Art

The Cooper Union’s School of Art is one of the most selective in the country. It is an environment where creativity is not only expressed but discussed and presented in one of the world's most culturally vibrant neighborhoods, Manhattan's East Village. The School of Art faculty regularly receive distinguished grants and fellowships, including a MacArthur Award and 14 Guggenheim fellowships in the past decade. Graduates are accepted into the most prestigious graduate programs, international fellowship programs and residencies around the world. Among its distinguished alumni are: artist and designer Milton Glaser, painter Alex Katz, artist Wangechi Mutu, and artist Audrey Flack. Please visit http://www.cooper.edu/art.

The Albert Nerken School of Engineering

The Albert Nerken School of Engineering offers a curriculum equivalent to that of most elite graduate level programs, and from the first it has been a magnet for some of America's greatest minds. Thomas Edison came to The Cooper Union to improve his skills as an industrial chemist. Other distinguished alumni include: Russell Hulse, Nobel Prize for Physics; Kevin Burke, CEO of Con Edison; Howard Flagg and Ben Itri, developers of DSL; and Stanley Lapidus, inventor of the Thin-Prep Pap Test for early detection of cervical cancer. Please visit http://www.cooper.edu/engineering.

The Irwin Chanin School of Architecture

The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture is world famous for its integrative approach, which combines aesthetics, technologies, and environmental sustainability within a fundamental humanistic frame. Among the distinguished graduates of the School of Architecture are Elizabeth Diller and Ricardo Scofidio, designers of the High Line and the most recent Lincoln Center redesign, and Daniel Libeskind, developer of the master plan to rebuild the World Trade Center. Please visit http://www.cooper.edu/architecture.

The Faculty of the Humanities & Social Sciences

The institution is committed to the principle that an education in the liberal arts provides the ethical, social and humanistic framework crucial to personal development and professional excellence. Through their work in the humanities and social sciences, students gain a deeper

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understanding of the world in which they must live and act. They learn to think, to write and to speak clearly and effectively. Most significantly, an education in the liberal arts offers students the opportunity to become sensitive to the social and humanistic implications of their professional work and to acquire the basis for a satisfying cultural and intellectual life. Please visit http://www.cooper.edu/humanities.

Continuing Education

The American system of continuing education originated at The Cooper Union. The institution still offers a broad range of continuing education and professional certification programs in green building design, type face design, and digital representation and fabrication.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PRESIDENT The president of The Cooper Union is appointed by, and reports to the Board of Trustees of the college. As chief executive officer, the president provides institutional leadership, manages strategic short and long term planning, is responsible for the financial well-being of the college, is the chief spokesperson and representative of the college, and bears responsibility for the administration of the policies established by the Board of Trustees. The president serves as the chief academic officer to whom all vice presidents and deans report and chairs the Academic Council, which includes the vice presidents, the four deans of the academic divisions, the dean of students and the dean of admissions and records. He/She oversees and approves academic and administrative appointments, tenure and promotion decisions, sabbatical requests, new academic programs, various academic accreditation processes and compliance with federal, state and other regulatory reporting requirements. The president is responsible for financial management and, in collaboration with the board, resource development. He/she oversees external affairs including government, alumni, donor, media and other external relations. The president of Cooper Union is a major figure in the New York City and New York State political, cultural and philanthropic landscape.

The president shall:

 Serve as the principal steward for the resources of Cooper Union—faculty, staff, and students—and oversee the institution’s budget and facilities;  Lead with sound financial management and adherence to budget guidance and goals as set forth by the Board;  Build trust amongst various stakeholder groups, external partners, and the New York City constituency, particularly in the East Village;  Deploy abundant political savvy, the ability to understand the culture of the Cooper Union and to thoughtfully manage, work collaboratively with, various stakeholder and constituent groups;  Provide charismatic, inspirational and enthusiastic leadership;  Understand the value of education balanced with a clear business mind to make difficult and complex decisions;  Be a decision maker who can consider ideological and political implications with the appropriate level of transparency, compassion, and informed judgment;  Be an excellent listener and have the courage and intellect to navigate complexity;  Assure the continued prominence of the faculty by prioritizing the recruiting and retention of distinguished faculty at all levels with a focus on diversity;

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 Inspire and reward excellence in teaching and learning best practices at both the undergraduate and graduate levels;  Promote and enhance a level of trust among colleagues;  Play a leading role in attracting external funding from federal agencies, corporations, foundations and interested donors to support the mission at The Cooper Union;  Leverage space, infrastructure and technology for the advancement of the faculty, students, and staff;  Assure that The Cooper Union continues to serve its students with academic programs of the highest quality and effectiveness, promoting excellence as well as diversity in undergraduate and graduate degree programs;  Identify opportunities in emerging areas of science and the arts for new innovative programs and interdisciplinary initiatives within The Cooper Union and in partnership with New York City and other potential collaborators to maintain and increase a strategic and distinctive programmatic advantage;  Advocate internally for staff and resources to support a growing research agenda, faculty, and student population; and  Develop relevant industry and professional partnerships that have deep relevance to the mission of The Cooper Union.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE/QUALIFICATIONS The successful candidate will be an energetic, self-assured individual and will have the highest commitment to academic and scholarly standards. He/She must exhibit the vigor and imagination necessary to promote those standards effectively, and must be able to recognize and promote academic excellence in all its forms. Compelling candidates will be able to inspire faculty and students with a sense of pride and purpose, serve as an innovative leader to grow and build high quality programs, and provide a dedicated and established commitment to both undergraduate and graduate education. The next President of The Cooper Union should possess highly relevant professional experience with a clear record of distinguished accomplishment and leadership.

Qualified candidates shall bring the following professional experience:

 Significant leadership, management, and financial experience in a complex higher education or similar environment: At least ten years of experience in progressively senior positions, ideally in a not-for-profit cultural or educational institution;  Informed knowledge and appreciation of higher education: A demonstrated record of leadership characterized by vision, both programmatic and administrative, that synchronizes with the mission and core ethical values of the institution;  A commitment to and experience in supporting and cultivating a distinguished, accomplished, and diverse faculty, deep respect for and engagement with students, coupled with a commitment to attract the strongest of them, preserving and extending their diversity at both undergraduate and graduate levels;  Raising the profile and prominence of the institution by providing creative and distinctive leadership: demonstrating extraordinary and relevant judgment, and the sense for identifying and capitalizing on opportunities to advance academic excellence;  The intellectual leadership, creativity and curiosity to provide guidance in order to drive and enhance the robust teaching and learning process at Cooper Union: A profound understanding of creative processes, ideally through personal practice and experience in

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one or more of the disciplines Cooper Union offers;  Navigating multiple stakeholder groups, managing ambiguity, and advancing innovation and excellence on behalf of the organization: A successful record of engendering trust and confidence with trustees, faculty, alumni, staff and other related constituencies;  Excellent communication skills and someone who has charisma and is easily approachable;  Experience in identifying and leveraging resources on behalf of an organization: leveraging technology, diversity, key relationships: The ability to make and implement decisions effectively and efficiently;  A proven record of responsible budget development and fiscal management; and  Impeccable personal and professional integrity.

COMPENSATION The Cooper Union offers an attractive compensation and benefits package, commensurate with the successful candidate’s background and experience.

NOMINATIONS AND APPLICATIONS The Search Committee will begin reviewing candidates immediately and will continue until the position is filled. For priority consideration, please apply by Monday, February 15, 2016.

Applications should include 1) a detailed curriculum vitae, 2) a letter or statement summarizing the applicant's personal vision and relevant leadership experience, and 3) the applicant’s preferred contact information. To ensure full consideration, inquiries, nominations and applications should be submitted electronically (single PDF files preferred) in confidence, to:

[email protected]

KORN FERRY CONTACTS

Paul Chou Rosa Morris Co-Managing Director / Senior Client Partner Principal Global Education Practice Global Education Practice 1835 Market Street, Suite 2000 1700 K Street, Suite 700 Philadelphia, PA 19103 Washington, DC 20006

The Cooper Union is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.

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